On Marek Hrivik, “He got everyone’s attention with his play when there was more on the line. He was arguably one of the best playoff performers. Now it’s a matter of continued improvement and working on every facet to his game. His head is a bit ahead of others. He thinks that half step ahead, he knows what he is going to do with the puck before he gets it. He has good size, good puck handling ability and we see him as a legit prospect.”

On Chris Kreider starting with the Whale, “He is going to be a big player with the Whale and they will rely on him to be a big leader.”

On JT Miller and where he will play “right now we think he is physically ready to play in the American level. Mentally and emotionally he isn’t intimidated. His skill level is high enough to play here. I think that the best place for him to develop would be with the Whale but we haven’t made that decision yet.”